Writer's Block
by SkookyD
Summary: Castle is struggling to finish his latest novel. He discovers who is behind Johanna Beckett's murder and wants desperately to protect everyone around him. Kate is now awake!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at creative writing. Castle is struggling to finish his latest novel with the stress of worrying about how Beckett is doing in the hospital.**

****Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Spoilers for 3x24.****

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><p><em>Nikki turned back to look at Rook. Signaling him with her eyes to stay put. She silently crept up the last 3 steps to the 5th floor landing. She quickly checked the hallway before smoothly turning to the right to find apartment 507. Working on a tip, Nikki prepared to knock on the door.<em>

_From where he stood on the stairs Rook saw the light reflecting from the room at the end of the hall. It seemed out of place. He took a step up to get a better view. Just as the reflection made sense, the shot rang out…._

Rick stopped typing and rubbed his eyes. He had done it again. With an exasperated sigh he pushed his chair away from the desk and closed his eyes. He was reliving the nightmare of the day at the cemetery while he slept, did it need to haunt him when he was trying to work too? He wondered how Kate was. He knew she must still be unconscious or one of the nurses would have called him, but his thoughts never seemed to stray far from her. He wished he could just camp out at the hospital, but Josh was there. Josh belonged there, he didn't. Maybe, it was that thought that haunted him the most, Kate telling him to leave not just her apartment, but her life. She went so far as to ask Montgomery to have him removed as her partner. But, she did smile at him at the funeral. Rick felt a warm flutter in his chest, but then it was quenched as he remembered she smiled at him just before he let her get shot.

Jumping up from his chair Rick tried to quiet his runaway thoughts. He needed a drink. A stiff one. He had been trying to finish his newest Nikki Heat book for a month now. And Gina had started calling him at least once a day. He deliberately never answered, but he was soon going to have to talk to her, at least to keep her from coming over and banging on his door demanding a finished manuscript. But every time Nikki started to take two steps away from Rook, he immediately started to type a scene where she was getting shot. He needed an ending to his book, but the problem was he just didn't know how the story ended. Kate was still in the hospital and still unconscious. Should he end the Nikki Heat series? Or could he keep writing if Kate… No he wasn't going to even think it.

Damn it, where was his drink? Did he even pour it yet? Rick went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself two fingers of bourbon. It wasn't usually his drink of choice, but he needed something a little stronger today. He wanted something that would burn going down his throat.

Rick slowly walked back to his study to review what he had just typed. He wished he knew the end of the story. He stopped short and grabbed his phone from his hip and dialed the number for the hospital before he could talk himself out of it. When the receptionist answered, Rick asked to be put through to the nurse's station in the ICU. He just needed to check on her before he could focus on his book again.

"ICU, how may help you?" A slightly smoky sounding voice answered the phone.

Ah, he knew that voice. "Hey Regina, this is Richard Castle." Rick said putting on his publicity charm. "I hope you are doing well today, I am calling to check in and see how Detective Beckett is doing."

"Richard good to talk to you. I think she is doing better. Her vitals are starting to come up and we are weaning her off of the medication. It is really up to her now if she is going to come back to us." Regina paused before adding in a hushed voice. "Dr. Davidson is scheduled for a 6 hour surgery this afternoon. He needs to scrub in at 2pm. It might be good if someone were to come by and visit while he is busy."

Rick felt his heart leap. He hadn't been able to visit Kate for 3 days because motorcycle boy rarely left long enough to allow him to see her without seeing him too. As calmly as he could he responded, "Thank you Regina. If you are there around three today, I will see you then."

"Yup, I am here till 10 tonight. Want me to call you if anything changes with the doctor's schedule?"

"Regina, you are a doll. Thanks."

Feeling at peace for now Rick was able to return to his desk and reread what he had been working on.

_From where he stood on the stairs Rook saw the light reflecting from the room at the end of the hall. It seemed out of place. He took a step up to get a better view. Just as the reflection made sense, the shot rang out….  
><em>  
>What was this that he couldn't stop writing about Beckett or rather Nikki being shot. Rick hit the delete key and began again.<p>

_She quickly checked the hallway before smoothly turning to the right to find apartment 507. Nikki knocked on the door._

_"What can I do for you dear" a sweet little grandmother asked as she cracked open the door to find Nikki holding out her badge. This was not who she expected, so she signaled Rook to come join her while she holstered her gun._

_"Hello Ma'am. I am Detective Heat, and this is my partner Jameson Rook. We are looking for a Samuel Prichard" Nikki explained._

_Ahhh, the elderly woman sighed, "That would be my grandson. I am afraid he has never had the best taste in friends. What has he done?"_

_"We believe he may be a witness to a murder we are investigating."_

_"Is he a suspect too?"_

_"Not at this point. We just want to talk to him."_

_"Well he isn't here right now, but I could write down the address where he works." _

_"Thank you Ma'am that would be helpful."_

_As Rook and Heat turned to go something glinted…_

Rick slammed his laptop shut. He had started to do it again. Forget the fact that currently his writing was second rate at best. He had no idea where the story was headed. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

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><p><strong>I am not sure if this is worth pursuing. Like I said, I have never tried my hand at writing anything before. For the last couple of days this has been bouncing around in my brain though. After reading several other people's interpretation of the great moments after Castle's confession, I felt like I needed to look at this summer from Castle's POV if he wasn't spending day and night in the hospital with Beckett. Was he struggling with where they left things. Let me know if you want to read more.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all of the people who took the time to read the first chapter of this story. You have encouraged me to get this updated sooner than I expected. Well, that and I haven't been able to sleep at night because the story keeps playing out in my head.**

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><p>Previously on Writer's Block:<p>

_As Rook and Heat turned to go something glinted up ahead. Rook turned to get a better…_

Rick slammed his laptop shut. He had started to do it again. Forget the fact that currently his writing was second rate at best. He had no idea where the story was headed. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. He needed to see Kate. Three o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

Castle rolled back his chair and stared absentmindedly around the room, his eyes stopping to rest on the picture of himself with the mayor. He remembered the first time he saw Detective Katherine Beckett. She was a no-nonsense, beautiful woman and he had been instantly smitten. He tried to charm his way into a date with her or more accurately a one-night stand, and when that didn't work, charmed the mayor into bringing the two of them together. Kate's hair was shorter then. But the hurt behind her eyes was the same. Hell, there were times he thought maybe he made things worse. Pushed her too hard. Tried to protect her too much.

He used to be so good with words. Now he could barely type five sentence before his subconscious started to relive that last week before... before… He could still hear Kate's voice ringing through his head.

"You know what we are Castle? We are over. Now get out."

Everyone warned him that she might only listen to him-her dad, his mom, Montgomery—what did they see in her, in them? Did he have chance? But then he thought about Josh. The bile filled his throat as he pictured him holding her limp hand in the hospital room. He wanted to be the one there for her, to be the first one to look in her eyes, to see the life come back into them, to hopefully see her forgiveness, maybe to see her love.

**Briiiiinnnnng.**

Thankfully Castle's phone rang, jarring him from his melancholy thoughts. He looked and the caller ID and was pleasantly surprised to not see Gina's name.

"Yo, Malcolm, what's up?"

"Hey Boss. A couple of things have come up down here at The Old Haunt and it would be great if you could stop by and put your John Hancock on some purchase orders, I took the liberty of filling out for you."

"Really, what am I buying?"

"Besides the new pool table we talked about, I have an order ready for a couple new barstools and a most importantly a new ice machine. The one we have is on the fritz again and it is hard to run a bar without ice." Malcolm explained.

"No, No, I understand. How soon do you need them signed?"

"If you could come in this morning Boss, I can get an new ice machine here before the place starts hopping tonight. The rest of the stuff will get shipped sometime next week."

It's still morning, Castle thought. What time had he poured himself the bourbon? He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was only 10:30 maybe it was best to get out and go someplace today. "No problem I can be down in about an hour."

"Great see you then. Oh, one more thing Boss, if you have time, your personal mail is starting to pile up down here. You may want to take a few minutes to go through it."

"I get mail down there?" Rick questioned.

"Not a lot, but a few thing come in each week. Most of it from distributors trying to get us to buy T-Shirts and other thing with The Old Haunt printed on them. I could just toss all the stuff, but thought you might want to see if there is anything important in the mix."

Castle walked into the old haunt almost an hour and a half later. He decided at the last minute it would be a good idea to shower and shave. Between worrying about Kate and his writing, his personal hygiene had taken a back seat. He also had the foresight before he left to grab his laptop. There should still be more than enough time for him get some work done at the bar before he went to go see Kate.

He waved to a couple of regulars before heading into the back to find Malcolm. Rick, found him, with a plumbing wrench in one hand, legs sticking out from under one of the sinks. "Hey what's going on" Rick asked

"You know me give me a job and I will do it, don't much care what it is. In this case, it looks to be a clogged drain. Probably someone got lazy and poured grease down the sink." Malcolm scooted out from under the pipes to grab Rick's hand in welcome."

"Can I help at all? I am pretty handy to have around sometimes."

"Nah, I have this all under control. My wife clogs up the kitchen sink at home all the time, I am an old pro with a wrench and a snake."

"Just thought I'd offer, but to be truthful, my experience with plumbing consists of dialing a phone number and calling in reinforcements."

"In that case I definitely have everything under control." Malcolm laughed. "Let me wash my hands over there, and then I will show you the papers I need you to sign."

Ten minutes later Rick had approved all of Malcolm's purchase requests and was ready to get to work on his own stuff. He had to say one thing about Malcolm he was an honest and dedicated manager, a good guy to have around.

Down in the basement office, Rick found the pile of mail bundled up for him. Malcolm was right mostly junk, catalogs, invitations to business owners meetings, a manila envelope with no return address, a postcard advertising meeting rooms at a local hotel. Nothing requiring his immediate attention, so, he grabbed the whole stack and shoved it in his bag to deal with later. Setting his laptop up on the desk, he went to review where he was in the story, and accomplish a little more writing, before it was time to see Kate. He smiled at the thought of just being around her again.

Before Castle could let his daydreaming and melancholy overwhelm him, he started to reread the last couple of sentences.

"_Well he isn't here right now, but I could write down the address where he works." _

"_Thank you Ma'am that would be helpful."_

_As Rook and Heat turned to go something glinted…_

Castle deleted the last line and continued.

_As Rook and Heat returned to the patrol car. She turned to him, "So do you believe her?"_

_"Detective, if I was writing this story she would be the leader of a Mafia crime family, sacrificing everyone around her to become the head of…"_

_"Rook, I am not interested in your stories, do you believe her?"_

_"Not at all, did you see the way she held the door knob? Not like a weak old lady who wears Depends, but like she was prepared to use it as a weapon if you tried to enter the apartment uninvited. Maybe, she is already preparing an ambush for us at the address she gave us to find her grandson. I bet she will have sniper shooters on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Possibly even have booby-trapped the doorbell to explode when an unexpected visitor rings it. Or…" Rook was getting more and more excited as his theories became slightly more outlandish. "… she could have switched out all the air in the building to nitrogen gas and when we enter we will get disoriented, then sleepy and eventually pass out and die from the fumes."_

_Nikki glared at him with her no-more-nonsense look. He actually seemed almost gleeful as he came up with ways for the old lady to be plotting to kill them. "Just get in the car, Rook," she commanded._

_During the drive over Rook kept thinking of more ways for…_

**Briiiinnnng. **

**Briiiiinnnng. **

The ringing of Castle's phone jarred him back to reality. Drat, he was finally getting some decent writing done. Not once had a sniper tried to kill them. Then he thought about Rook's wild theories and realized that he had done it once again.

**Briiiiinnnnng.**

A quick glance at his phone told him it was Gina. He stared at the phone for a minute before silencing it and sending Gina straight to voicemail. He was going to have to talk to Gina, but he couldn't do it until he saw Kate. Until he knew if she would live. Until he knew she would wake up. Until he knew where they stood.

Until he knew if she would choose him.

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><p><strong>I didn't plan on this chapter going on quite so long. So I promise next time Castle will finally get to the hospital. Quick question, how many of you recognize Malcolm? I couldn't remember in Castle if The Old Haunt had a bar keep or manager, so I decided to invent one… or rather reinvent an old character of Nathan Fillion's. I hope you enjoyed it. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Because no one post a review saying they knew who Malcolm is, he is a former character of Nathan Fillion's (Malcolm Reynolds) from Firefly. Cute show, B-rated acting, but great to fill the off-season, and if you watch them, make sure you follow up with Serenity which is the follow-up movie. **

**For all of you Caskett fanatics, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Castle finally gets to see Beckett in the hospital.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, I'm just filling the time until September.**

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><p>Rick decided to visit his favorite flower shop on the way to the hospital. He used to be a regular, but he had rarely used them in the last couple of years, now he came in just for mother's day and to have flowers around the house for publicity photos. He couldn't remember when he stopped sending flowers to the women he was with.<p>

As always, he was amazed at the large variety of flowers that a tiny little shop in New York City could have. Dismissing the roses at the entrance as being for lovebirds and funerals, he went to look for something brighter, something that would bring a smile to her eyes when she saw them. No lilies, they were to strong a fragrance for her tiny room in the hospital. The chrysanthemums were cheerful, but the red reminded him of her blood sticky on his fingers. The sunflowers were too obvious. Then he saw them on the back wall, tall spikes of big white flowers; gladiolas. Okay, so maybe these were obvious too, but he loved the symbolism of them.

The final arrangement of gladiolas, delphinium and yellow tulips was carefully wrapped in plastic with the vase tucked into his bag. For a few minutes he felt like himself again, getting to do things for Kate that she would never do for herself. Like bringing her coffee each morning, it was another small way to show his feelings for her.

––––––––––––––––––

The hallway was deserted on the sixth floor of the hospital. The waiting room had a couple of people sitting and staring into space. There wasn't even the soft chatter that happens around shift changing time he was accustomed to. He realized it was earlier than he usually snuck in to see Kate. Josh having made it abundantly clear from the beginning he wasn't welcome. Rick made his way to the nurse's station to find Regina.

"Hello Regina, I brought you something." Rick smiled at the nurse behind the counter as he held out a bouquet of Black-Eyed Susans to her.

"Richard Castle, aren't you the charmer today."

"Guilty," Castle laughed.

"How is Detective Beckett doing?"

"Nothing has changed since this morning. As I was telling you on the phone, yesterday the doctors weaned her off of the medications that were keeping her in a coma. Really, it is anyone's guess as to when the detective will wake up. Her vitals keep getting stronger and the doctors are really pleased with her progress. It may be your lucky day."

"Is Dr. Davidson in surgery or in her room?"

"Don't you know me better than that. I would have called you if Josh was still gonna be in there. Now, quit your blabbing with me, and get yourself down there and spend some time with your partner."

Rick gave Regina one more big smile before continuing down the hallway to where a uniformed policeman was guarding Kate's room. Rick nodded to him, and showed his ID before being allowed to enter.

The antiseptic smell of the room hit him at once. He could almost taste the iron in the air when he breathed in. The lights were dimmed and it took him a moment to get his bearings. He first scanned the constantly humming machines with their random beeps and blips. He couldn't tell much from the glowing red readouts, but watching the heartbeat monitor brought him a sense of calm, knowing how close she had come to death, how close her heart had come to stopping beating.

Rick walked to the chair beside her bed, but just stood there staring down at her face. He traced the contours of her face with his eyes, memorizing every detail about her, cataloguing the changes since the last time he had been able to visit. She looked better; there was a color to her skin instead of the gray hue that bespoke how serious her injuries were. Her cheeks were thinner, but nothing a few home-cooked meals couldn't fix. Overall, Katherine Beckett seemed peaceful, more like she was sleeping instead of on the brink of death.

Before settling into the chair, Rick placed the flowers on the table nearby. They would keep for a little while without being in water. Gently, Rick picked up Kate's hand in his own rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. She felt a little chilly to him and he covered her hand with both us his to warm it up. Almost shyly Rick began to talk to her. Nothing important. Just the everyday moments of life, Alexis's plans to follow Ashley to college, Martha's newest production, and bits of gossip from the precinct, funny stories from his childhood. Anything to let her know he was there for her, always.

When a nurse came in to check on her he finally let go of her hand long enough to put the flowers in water. When he returned, he noticed a stray hair across Kate's face and he gently brushed it to the side, letting his fingers linger on her skin before picking up her hand and continuing his monologue.

Rick knew the minute Motorcycle Boy walked into the room. He could feel it in his clenching gut.

"You're holding my girlfriends hand." Josh stated in a calm voice that held an edge of a challenge to it.

"No, I am holding my partner's hand. She just happens to be your girlfriend." Castle countered in an equally calm voice.

"And I believe you're sitting in my chair."

"I didn't see your name on it". Castle felt like he was back in third grade taunting the school bully.

"Are we really going to go into this now?" Josh's voice grew incrementally louder. "Maybe you should walk away like you usually do, because I have had a long day in surgery, and I just want to sit down next to my girlfriend. So I can make sure that she is resting well."

"I assure you that Beckett is resting very well," Castle's voice began rising to match Josh's.

"And you are a doctor? This is your professional opinion from years of experience working in hospitals around the world? How would you know how she is doing?" Josh challenged.

"Look who's talking, are you even in one place enough to know whom the person is you are treating? Who do you think has Beckett's back when you are off saving the world with your Doctor's Without Borders group? Who do you think is HERE saving her life?

Somehow without realizing it Rick had let go of Kate's hand and was standing toe to toe with Josh, their voices, although still not shouting, rising with their tempers.

"Kate knows I want to be here with her, but I can't just let someone die who needs my skills. I choose to be part of the world instead of just writing about it."

"Do you think I just spend my days holed up in my study? Well I don't, I choose to engage in the world by building re-la-tion-ships. I don't fly around the world because I am too afraid to commit to something or someone. If you don't like my company you can leave, but I am spending the evening here with my partner!"

"I don't think so," Josh countered. "Visiting hours are already over, so I can have you kicked out of here at any time. Being a doctor allows me to spend all the time in Kate's room that I want. I suggest you grab your stuff and get out."

The two men glared at each other. Neither one wanting to be the first to look away and admit defeat. In the silence of this staring contest a hoarse voice came from the bed, "Castle". At the sound of his name Rick turned toward Kate to see her eyelids fluttering. A second word formed on her lips and she rasped out "stay". Huffing, Josh turned around to leave the room when a third word from the bed stopped him, "Josh." He turned back to Kate just as she croaked "stay". And with that monumental effort, Kate descended back into the darkness of unconsciousness, a look of peace returning to her face.

The two men locked eyes in an uneasy truce. Josh moved to the bed and clasped Kate's hand daring Castle to say anything. Rick walked to the corner grabbing a second chair and his bag. He set himself up on the other side of Kate's bed. After watching her for any other sign that she was returning to them, dragged his laptop out and started typing. Castle didn't care about the continuity of the story, he needed the outlet of writing so he would be tempted to continue arguing with motorcycle boy.

_Rook walked Nikki up to her apartment. He had been a reporter looking at the ugly side of humanity too long to allow her to enter into any building alone this late at night, even if she did live there. They were both exhausted. Although the address the old lady had given them wasn't a trap, it wasn't helpful either. Supposedly, good ol' Samuel Prichard hadn't worked there for 6 months, and the only clue as to his new employer came from one of the kid's former coworkers that he was working somewhere in the upper east side. That little tidbit led to lots of legwork and little results. _

_Nikki stepped inside her apartment, leaving the door open for Rook to follow her. "I need a hot, steamy cup of coffee, do you want something."_

_Rook glanced at Nikki with a mischevious twinkle in his eye, "I would love something hot and steamy from you."_

_His words sent a shiver of longing up her spine. "Wouldn't it be …" Nikki began, and as she turned back to look at him, she crashed right into his arms. She hadn't realized how close he was. Her quick retort died on her lips. Locking eyes with Rook, Nikki couldn't move, she suddenly didn't want to. The air around them seemed to vibrate with the electricity of their gaze. Nikki felt herself licking her lips longing for one taste of Jameson Rook._

_Rook didn't disappoint. Still looking at Nikki, he lowered his mouth to touch hers, his hands gripping her tighter. Their lips lightly grazed against each other, the passion behind the kiss still waiting to be released. _

"_Nikki…" Rook began, his voice husky with desire, his lips still touching hers. _

"_mmmm hmmmm" Nikki mumbled into his mouth, as her tongue flicked out seeking to deepen the kiss. _

_And although it killed Rook to say it, he continued, "…I should probably go." He separated from her just enough to look deep into her eyes. Making sure that she heard what he said. _

_Nikki entwined her fingers in Rooks hair, pulling his mouth back to her own. The kiss instantly ratcheted up in intensity, as their tongues searched out the others mouth. _

_One of Rook's hands slid down to cup her bottom while the other hand moved to her head bringing their lips even closer. He could taste the warmth of her mouth, the saltiness, the softness of her. With his desire for her increasing his logical thought was disappearing. He tried one more time, "Nikki…"_

_As their lips crushed back together, she breathed, "Rook, stay."_

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><p><strong>Chesssnut, I hope you enjoyed the scene where Kate talked in her sleep. I have been waiting to write this chapter from the very beginning. <strong>

**Unfortunately, this is where the story as I initially conceived it stops. I am thinking about the next morning and I already know what I would have Castle find in the envelope. But, I started this to avoid the mushy hospital scenes, so my question to you is: should I keep going or have it end there. **

**Thanks for your feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review this story. I appreciate every one of your comments. I mentioned at the end of the last chapter that I was considering leaving the rest of the story unwritten because I really didn't want to do the bedside hospital scene. Not that I haven't enjoyed reading other people's versions, but I really wanted this story to focus on a different aspect of 3x24. So, this week I spent some time outlining day 2. My best guess is that the next 5 chapters will only advance us about 24 hours. I hope you enjoy.**

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><p>Rick awoke with a really bad kink in his neck. Stretching, he noticed that his butt was sore also. It was then that Rick realized he had fallen asleep in the folding chair next to Kate's bed. He opened his eyes to see cracks of sunlight peeking through the curtains, but the room was still semi-dark. Turning his head to try and alleviate some of the stiffness, he quietly scanned the room. Josh was gone, probably to do morning rounds or something. Castle was glad; he really didn't want a repeat performance of last night.<p>

He let his gaze shift to Kate. She didn't look like she had moved, but her features seemed to have softened even more. Without even thinking he gently touched her cheek, letting his fingers memorize the feel of her skin. Feeling her warmth and drawing strength from it. Rick wished he could wake up this way every morning. Well, not the soreness and stiffness from sleeping in a chair, but waking up and being able to watch Kate sleep. With his the back of his fingers still light resting on her cheek, Rick leaned down and kissed Kate on the forehead.

Wow, where had that come from? Not that he didn't think of kissing Kate, he did, all the time, but to do it in the hospital where Dr. She-Chose-Him-And-Not-Me could come in at any time… He needed to leave. Rick knew in his gut that she would wake up today, but he wasn't going to be a third wheel. He could watch Josh hold her hand when she was in a coma, but not if she was a wake and smiling back at motorcycle boy.

And although it hurt him to do so, with one last glance at the woman he loved. Rick slipped from the room.

...

Castle quietly unlocked the front door to his apartment.

A voice rang out. "Hi Dad, you're home early, or should I say late?" teased Alexis from the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Sweetheart. Why aren't you at school?

"This little thing called summer vacation started last week."

"You have been home for a whole week already! What world am I living in?"

"No Dad," Alexis laughed. "School ended Friday. I hung around here for the weekend, and yesterday, Ashley and I made plans to get together early for breakfast so I was out of here like normal. Really, you are taking good care of me. But maybe I need to take better care of you. Where have you been all night?"

"Um, well, I went to visit Beckett yesterday," Castle hedged, "and um, she talked so, well, I stayed. I ended up falling asleep in her room."

"Detective Beckett is awake, Dad, that's awesome news. I know how worried you have been about her." Alexis quipped.

"She's not awake, Honey…"

"But you said…"

"I said she talked." Rick opened his mouth to say more and then stopped.

"Dad, what aren't you telling me?"

Castle sighed, he knew Alexis would wheedle the story out of him anyway. "You know the saying about the elephant in the room?" Alexis just nodded, not wanting to interrupt. "Well, while I was visiting Beckett last night, her boyfriend, Dr. Davidson came back to her room and um, we… well, neither of behaved very well."

"Okay, Dad, but what does this have to do with elephants and Detective Beckett talking?"

"Yeah, um, it was more like he and I were testosterone charged young bull elephants ready to trample each other to be the one who got to…" Rick trailed off, this analogy while pretty accurate so far, resulted in him calling a Kate a cow, a girl-elephant-cow, not a cow-cow, but…

"So you both wanted to be there for her" Alexis prodded.

"Thanks, Honey," Rick smiled at her. "After we started saying some pretty heated things to each other, Beckett starts talking in this really hoarse voice and asks us both to stay."

"Really! So, do you think she could hear you guys talking?"

"Well, she did mention both of us by name, so she probably is starting to respond to her surrounding more. I expect she will wake up some time today."

"Then why aren't you still with her?"

Rick had never told Alexis how Kate had ordered him out of her apartment and out of her life. Even though they were able to come together briefly after Montgomery's death, nothing had been resolved and he really didn't think that he was the first person that Kate would want to see when she woke up. "Honey, it's… complicated," Rick sighed again.

"Dad what is complicated about the fact that you are so madly in love with her that you can't eat, or sleep, or even hang out with Grams and me. You are so self-absorbed, or should I say, Kate-absorbed, that ever since she got shot, it is almost like a part of you got shot too. Some part of you started dying then, Dad. I have seen you with lots of women, and never have I seen you look like your heart was ripping in half before. So when you tell me it's complicated, I pretty sure that you are just scared that your heart will completely tear apart if she doesn't choose you. But, she can't choose you if you aren't there. Detective Beckett wanted you to stay, honestly Dad you should turn right around an go back to the hospital." Alexis paused to breathe before rushing on. "I have fallen asleep listening the clicking of a keyboard ever since I can remember. I used to love watching your fingers fly across the keys, but now you spend more time staring at the screen and less time working. I have come to check on you several nights in the last two weeks and all I hear is the occasional click-click of you typing on your laptop, not your usual rapid fire staccato. Dad, I know your concern for Detective Beckett is even affecting your work, and I have never known that to happen before."

Rick's jaw had slightly dropped open listening to his daughter. "When did you learn so much about relationships? Your Grams and I have never been shining examples."

Alexis just shrugged, "I am a teenage girl. What do you think my friends talk about when we get together? But seriously Dad, She asked you to stay last night, you really should go back. Even if it might be uncomfortable with Dr. Davidson."

"I'll think about it honey. Now tell me about your amazing plans for today. And make them fun so I can live vicariously through you." Alexis laughed and they fell into an easy conversation about what Alexis and her friends were doing to celebrate their first week of summer vacation. After 20 minutes, Rick finally excused himself to go to his study. "Have a great day, Sweetheart, I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

...

In his study Rick opened the laptop. He was extremely distracted last night watching Josh and Kate over the top of his monitor, and he couldn't remember what he wrote. He was typing as an escape mechanism so he wouldn't have to watch another man with the woman he loved. Castle looked at the last line on the screen.

_She breathed, "Rook, stay."_

Damn, even Nikki Heat was giving him advice to go back to the hospital. Castle clicked his laptop shut, deciding instead to look at the mail that Malcolm had saved for him at The Old Haunt.

The catalogs were bright and fun to look through, but he didn't want to start selling souvenirs at the bar. Maybe he would order some new coasters with The Old Haunt's logo on them. They patrons always liked it when new designs came in. Most of the business-oriented envelopes could immediately be recycled, several of the meetings had already happened.

Finally, the only piece of mail left was the thick manila envelope. Holding the envelope in his left hand, he used his letter opener to slit the package open. Several file folders slid out when Castle tipped the envelope on its side.

Rick read the note attached to the top folder:

_Castle, I have done everything I can. Protect her. –R.M. _

With a sense of foreboding Castle opened the first folder.

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><p><strong>I know it's not quite as long as the last chapter, but it's not my shortest either. And this seemed like a great spot to stop. <strong>

**Also, I left Rook and Nikki Heat out of this chapter. Do you miss them? Please let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I did so much research preparing to write this chapter. I watched watched Knockdown and Knockout a half dozen times apiece. I kept pausing every two second in Knockdown to transcribe all of the notes on the windows in Kate's apartment. With that I created my own murder board so that I would have all the real facts before I started interjecting my own suppositions. If the storyline is off, I am sorry I really did try to be true to the show.**

**I had originally planned on splitting this into two chapters, but I couldn't really find a good breaking point, so hope you don't mind and exceeding long chapter–Almost double the length of chapter 3.**

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><p><strong>Previously on Writer's Block:<strong>

Finally, the only piece of mail left for Rick to open was the thick manila envelope. Holding the envelope in his left hand, he used his letter opener to slit the package open. Several file folders slid out when Castle tipped the envelope on its side.

Rick read the note attached to the top folder:

_Castle, I have done everything I can. Protect her. –R.M. _

With a sense of foreboding Castle opened the first folder.

…

Slowly, as if he were surfacing from the deep end of a pool, Castle closed the last blue folder. He hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until it came out in a rush. Every thought he had about returning to the hospital was forgotten. Alexis was forgotten. Even Kate was forgotten. All he could think about was Johanna Beckett and what she had inadvertently gotten into. He'd known she must have been an incredible person, but he never felt like he had known her personally before. He wondered how much she had already pieced together before she was silenced, forever.

It was a law of averages. He knew that one day he was bound to be right, but now, on Johanna's case. Why? It was an inside joke, the way to ensure Kate would roll her eye and if not laugh, at least relax a little. His go-to response when nothing made sense. He wanted to work with Beckett on a case like this, just to be right, for once. But her mom's case, this was a little to close to home. Who was he kidding it was way to close to home; this was personal now.

Reviewing what he had just read, Castle realized that the clues had all been there. Much of it was stuff Kate had already discovered. They just needed to look back even farther. The dominoes were being set up even before the kidnapping plot, perpetuated by Ragland and McCallister. Back in the late eighties during the economic boon, people had disposable income, and most of them were willing to pay a little extra for "services". But as wallets tightened in the 90s, store owners no longer wanted to feel the pinch to pay for protection from the rival mafia families. When enough voices join in unison, the government usually listens. In this case, as they already knew, the Fibbies set up a long-term sting, they sent in moles to infiltrate the mob or found people willing to flip, didn't matter. The goal was the same; bring the families down–from the top.

But then enter two gung-ho NYC policemen determined to clean up the city from the bottom up. Stymied by a lack of witnesses whenever a known mob associate went to trial, they hatched their own plan to clean up the city. One of kidnap, a few thumbscrews and an extremely high bail, designed to put the fear of God back into the mob. It worked well for several years; they even brought in a young rookie to join them in their mission. But the dominoes began to fall that night in the alley nineteen years ago.

Ragland, McCallister, and Mongomery chose the wrong bad guy to kidnap that night. This one was actually with a good guy, Robert "Bobby" Armond. He and mob enforcer Joe Pulgatti were in the blind alley behind the club Sons of Palermo. Bobby was an FBI agent working on the inside. When the gun went off in that alley, hell started to crash in around them. At that point the cover-up started. What none of NYPD's finest knew was that there was a final player there that night.

Not only was the FBI infiltrating the mob, but so was the CIA. According to the files Montgomery had compiled, there was one other person who saw first hand what went down that night. Henderson "Hands" Michaels was a spook, on his way to a meeting with Bobby, his FBI counterpart. Hands was 20 minutes late, and rather than being in the blind alley for the shooting, he was still about 100 yards away when he heard the shoot ring out. Using his training skills he snuck close enough to discover the truth. Hands reported everything to his supervisor at the CIA about the event. Two-weeks later, Hands was whacked in an unsolved drive by. The police chalked it up to a gang/mob shooting, and didn't spend extra men investigating not knowing he was a CIA operative. Hands' supervisor was a poor, but power hungry young man, who used this information to concoct a blackmail scheme. Now, with the money to invest in his promotions, his generosity made him many friends along the way, judges, congressmen, and especially gave him access to walking guns-for-hire. Men who worked with him, not only for the money, but were incredibly loyal to him too.

It all made sense. Montgomery had been really thorough in gathering all the old case files and documents, including the missing court file on the trial of Joe Pulgatti that Johanna Beckett had requested. The only thing that Montgomery left out was how in the world that he, an average citizen, could somehow keep Kate safe from not a rogue CIA operative, but from Jack Branson, the Director of the CIA, himself.

…

He couldn't talk to anyone or let on that he knew any differently, hell, his phones had probably been tapped from the first day he walked into the precinct. They were surely scanning his emails, were they looking for clues in what he wrote in his books. How was he, Richard Castle better equipped to protect Katherine Beckett than the entire NYC police department. Castle could feel the hysteria bubbling up inside of him. A rotation of nameless, underpaid public servants guarding Kate's hospital door, they were no match for all of the resources of the CIA. With that thought he laughed out loud probably from nerves, thinking of the single policeman guarding Kate. At this moment a nurse could be delivering an IV laced with an untraceable poison to her.

Castle's writer brain was in a whirlwind. He wasn't Jason Bourne, trained to face dangers and complications. He needed to calm down and focus. If he were writing this story what would his hero do? He thought about Derrick Storm first. Storm was a bit of a daredevil and reckless, he would probably jump in with both feet and hang the consequences. That was part of the reason that Rick had gotten tired of writing about his adventures; Storm was predictably a showoff. Next he thought of Nikki Heat. Sexy and smart, with a passion for justice Nikki would do all of the legwork and then lock him up. A lot of that legwork was what the captain had already done. Finally, he thought about Jameson Rook, in many ways his alter ego. A Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Rook would keep the story close to his vest, get all his facts straight and then write a front page exposé, causing a massive fallout.

For the first time since he opened the envelope Rick smiled. He may be a best-selling fiction writer, but he had spent many years in high school and then college working on the school papers. He knew how to do factual reporting as well as shocking and scintillating fiction. He smiled even broader realizing he might just be the most qualified person to keep Beckett safe.

Castle flipped open his laptop. In a new word document, he took a page from Rook and started to think like a journalist and because of Beckett a little bit like a cop too.

1. Protect the source—all dead. Secure the documents RM sent. Safe? Safety deposit box?

2. Protect future victims—Check the security on KB. Get Alexis and Martha out of town, or is that to obvious? Would THEY notice they timing on getting them to leave. Trip to Europe? Hamptons? Summer Camp for A.?

3. Find corroborating witnesses—Are they really all dead? Is there anyone left to prove Hands was in the alley? To connect Hands to Jack Branson before he became the CIA director.

4. Money Trail—Always a good starting point. Records of payoffs? Whose hands did Branson grease?

5. Shooting of Beckett—Stop by the precinct. Do Ryan and Esposito have any leads? Any way to trace this shooter? Any connections to his employer?

6. Buy a burner phone—pay cash!

7. …

His fingers paused over the keyboard. What else did he need to do? Establish a timeline? No Beckett had that; he just needed to get access to her apartment. Unconsciously, Castle started humming the theme song to Jeopardy under his breath. What else? With a start he looked down at the monitor, as he flat hand slapped himself on the forehead. How could he be so stupid? He was already leaving behind an electronic trail. He needed to disguise his key strokes.

He flipped to his Nikki Heat manuscript and printed the first 23 pages. Then back to his to-do list and send it to print. Followed by the final 197 pages of Heat Rising. He then closed the word document without saving it. Hopefully, his printer didn't save an impression of every page it printed. Rick wasn't really sure, but he had to trust that if it did, one page out of over 200 might be missed.

And although his desire to work on his book was lower than zero he knew he had to start typing to make anyone watching think he was just outlining plot points for his book. He couldn't help that he had written out some people's names, but he would do his best to hide their identity in the continuity of his story.

_Any hope Rook had of a continuation of the events of last night, disappeared when he realized that Nikki's the side of the bed wasn't just empty, but cold. Fumbling with the covers, he quickly found his pants, and tossed them on. He would come back and find his boxers later. _

_Nikki was looking out the window dressed in a fuzzy blue robe. Rooked stopped a couple of feet behind her. Even though he had given her plenty of opportunities last night to stop things, a small part of him felt like he should apologize. As much as he longed to reach out and hold her, by the set of her shoulders he thought that what she needed most was her space. As he started to back up and leave her for a few more minutes, Nikki spoke to the window. "They're out there you know."_

_Rook looked a little lost, unsure if he was supposed to answer before replying "Who?"_

_"Our killer, Sam Prichard, suspects, witnesses," Nikki began still facing the window. "Everyday we interact with hundreds of people. Today someone will shake hands with, or talk to the one person we need to break this case wide open, and they don't know it. They don't even realize how important they are. Think about yourself. How many meaningless interactions do you have with people everday? Grocery clerk, coffee barista, taxi driver—someone knows something, they just don't realize that they are the missing link, the key to bringing justice to the vic's family."_

_Rook was starting to wonder if he really should apologize for last night. _

_"It's the unknowns in a case that make a difference. We need to start over again searching for the hidden link. If we can't find Prichard, maybe we can find the guy he shook hands with today."_

_With a small sigh Rook realized she was back at work. The sun may be just coming over the horizon, but Nikki was already in her cop mindset, and probably had been for a while. _

_"Any ideas where we start looking today."_

_"I need to get down to the precinct and review the murder board. Why don't you come join me in a couple of hours?" And with that Nikki left the room to shower and get dressed for the day. _

_Rook watched her disappear into her room. He hoped that he was being dismissed because she didn't want them to show up together. Although it was hard to tell where he stood with Nikki Heat. It could just be she was already so focused on the case she didn't realize that she had just given him the brushoff. Rook walked into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. He needed to get dressed, before he went home to shower, but he figured it was best to stay out of the bedroom for now. _

_Fifteen minutes later, Nikki came out dressed for work. Her hair still slightly damp as it cascaded around her face. Rook felt his jeans tighten perceptibly at the sight of her. Damn, she was gorgeous. He took a couple of steps closer, he figured she would want him out of her place before she left, and he wanted to grab his stuff. _

_Nikki's gaze was drawn to his still bare chest. She never knew how to handle the morning after. She had never considered herself much of a cuddler, that required relaxing her guard, but seeing Rook standing barefoot in her kitchen, she suddenly wished that she had that domesticity bone in her body. Maybe she could try. Crossing over too him, she rested her hand lightly on his arm, "Feel free to stay as long as you like, I'll see you in a little while." Nikki had to stretch on her tiptoes to kiss Rook on the lips, losing her balance and slightly falling into him. Rook steadied her as best he could with one hand while trying to keep the coffee in his mug from sloshing onto her. _

_Looking straight into her eyes, Rook proclaimed, "This is a much better way to start the day." Before bending down to slowly kiss her again._

_Before she completely lost herself in the kiss Nikki pulled away. Bringing up her fingers to rest lightly on his lips. She murmured "Lets continue this tonight?" And she raised her eyebrows in a very suggestive way._

_Rook nodded mutely before letting go of her waist. Yes, it was definitely going to be a good day._

_Down at the precinct. Nikki leaned on the closest desk while she studied the murder board. She needed to see the pattern in the unconnected events. They needed to find the unknown person who would bring the puzzle pieces together. She wasn't sure where to look for him, but in the quiet before everyone arrived, sometimes she could hear the different people on the board talking to her. That was what she was listening for this morning. Nikki didn't need to reread the notes she just let her eyes glance over the board. Checking the timeline for inconsistencies, glancing a pictures of the vic, trying to find the one unknown that spoke to her._

Castle paused in his typing, he hadn't wanted waste his time this morning working on his book, but he was rather pleased with what he had written in the last hour. Unfortunately, he had a long day ahead of him, and whether he had disguised his keystrokes enough or not, he needed to get started.

First stop, the safe in his office. He needed to protect the files that Montgomery had mailed him. Castle had to move the top row of books off the shelf to access the hidden back panel of the bookcase. With a few taps on the electronic keypad, the wall tilted up. Castle moved things around for a few minutes looking for what he need. Castle quickly closed the safe and placed the books back on the shelves.

Next stop the kitchen. When he first bought his apartment, he was disgusted by the poor safe in the office, so when he remodeled the kitchen, he had the contractor put a hidden floor safe in there. He really didn't know how much Branson knew about him, but he thought that of the two places in his house to keep documents this was the safer of the two safes. He mentally laughed at his safer safe pun. This time in addition to taking more files out, he placed other files inside.

It was time to shower and change. Last thing he needed to do was be seen wearing yesterday's clothes. Plus it was a chance to run through his agenda for the day one final time and see if there were any loopholes in his roughly conceived plans.

…

Castle paused exiting the elevator. Even though he knew Kate wouldn't be there, he reflexively looked at her desk anyway. It was too clean. His gazed slid to Montgomery's office, all the lights were off, and from what little he could see where he stood it looked like someone had taken his personal items off of the walls. Everything was quieter, somber. With a writer's sense of staging, he immediately started composing the story in his head.

_Rook walked into the room, haunted not by ghosts, but memories. The sharp tap of Nikki's heels was silent, but the sounds still echoed. The cacophony of phones and human chatter was missing, but the expectation of sound reflected from every wall. It was as if the precinct had frozen in time, waiting for…_

"Yo, Castle. Whatzzup?" Esposito grinned from his desk.

"Dude Man, where you been? We sure could use your help."

Castle's slightly shook his head bringing himself into the present, his mood already lightening. He really had missed these guys. "Great. What are you working on?"

"I downloaded this new game on my phone and I am stuck on level 27." Ryan said as he pulled his phone off of his hip and started pushing buttons.

"Oh, I thought you needed my help on a case."

"Nah, they are shifting most of the homicides away from the 12th because of the Captain and Beckett." After an uncomfortable pause, Esposito continued, "How's she doing?"

"She's looking better." Castle really didn't want talk about his visit last night or how he had basically walked out on her this morning. "Doctor's are hoping she'll wake up soon."

"How'er you doing?" Ryan asked not looking up from his phone.

"I've had closer calls hanging out with you guys in the past," Castle deflected. "Any word on the shooter?"

"We are calling him Lockwood 2.0. So far we have zip."

"Zilch…" Ryan continued still tapping away on his phone.

"Nada." Finished Esposito. "Best we can tell he's another pro. Even the grass around where we calculated he shot from barely showed a hint of being stepped on."

Ryan finally looked up from his phone adding, "No shell casings or fingerprints. Its like this guy fired one shot and vanished. We couldn't even pick up his trail to see which direction he fled the scene. But since it's not a homicide," Ryan started talking a little faster to disguise how close it had been to being their case, "we aren't officially part of the investigation."

Castle knew it had been a long shot that the boys had any more information on the hit man, but he needed to check. He was still looking for that thread he could use to connect Jack Branson to any of this. Switching the topic he asked, "So, you have a new captain yet?"

"Lots of brass being walked through, but best we can tell, they are still interviewing people."

"Yeah, you know they don't tell us anything. We saw a good cop from the 4th come in last week , a gal from the 20th, couple of dudes from other boroughs, and even one guy from Chicago."

"Sounds like a long commute" Castle quipped.

"I know man, think of the cab fare everyday!" they each chuckled companionably. And because Becket wasn't there to do so, Castle rolled his eyes making the guys laugh a little louder.

"Any idea how soon they will get someone in here?"

"Best guess, probably another 2 weeks to a month."

"What are you doing until then?"

"Cold cases," Ryan huffed.

Castle was pretty sure he had just found two bored and trustworthy men to help him do a little clandestine investigating when he was ready. "Okay, so pass me that phone," Castle directed. The three grown boys huddled close together tapping and flicking at the tiny screen.

…

Two hours and 5 levels later, Castle's phone rang interrupting their gaming session. He had completely lost track of time. Pulling his phone out, Rick saw that it was the hospital calling him.

"Castle."

"Hello Mr. Castle, this is Nurse Sanchez. Dr. Davidson asked me to inform you that Detective Katherine Beckett is awake."

"How is she?"

"I was only in there for a few minutes, but she asked for you a couple of times and was moving her hands. Both are good signs for someone as injured as she was."

Rick exhaled slowly, a big grin spreading across his face. She was going to be okay. "I will be there as soon as I can. Unfortunately I need to do a couple of things before I can come to the hospital, but I will be there no later than 2 hours." He was sorely tempted to skip all of his remaining stops, but he knew that was impossible, Rick had to go to at least one bank first. He had planned on opening up safe deposit boxes at 5 different banks, that way if someone wanted to know what he knew they would have to perform a string of bank robberies. I might be easy for a guy like Branson to hire someone to break into one bank unnoticed, but five different banks, Rick figured his odds were better at keeping his knowledge secret.

Nurse Sanchez continued, "I wouldn't wait too long if I was you. When people wake up from a coma they still need lots of sleep. Since she is alert now, it may be best if you came soon."

Castle waffled, he really did want to be two places at once. "Okay, I will get there as soon as I can."

"Good, I will let the doctor know."

Castle hung up berating himself for playing video games for so long. "That was the hospital, Kate woke up. I need to take off guys, the nurse wasn't sure how long she'd be awake for."

"We're not doing anything, we could give you a lift." Ryan offered.

"With sirens" Espozito added.

Feeling like his well-conceived plans for the day were being hijacked. Castle agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review. Remember I have never tried my hand at creative writing before, so if there is something you don't like, I would love to know what it is. And if you are enjoying it tell me why so I can include more.<strong>

**The next chapter is almost completely written, and is ALL Kate's point-of-view, I should have that edited and up by the end of the week.**


	6. Chapter 6

**As promised, this chapter is almost all Kate's POV. Maybe with a little bit of our least favorite doctor at the end. Just a note of context before you get started this takes us back in time a little bit, before Kate wakes up. **

**With that unfortunately I don't own anyone. Although, it would be nice to have them stop by the house for drinks after work.**

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><p>Kate could hear voices coming out of the darkness around her. She spun in circles searching for a light or the source of the sound. She needed to calm down. Lessons from childhood came flooding back to Kate in her mom's voice. "Sweetheart, if you ever get lost sit down and I'll find you." Kate's breathing slowed down. "Stay put, I'll be right back." Kate stopped spinning in circles. "Wait right here for me." She needed to wait, to sit down.<p>

Or was she already sitting?

It was too dark. She couldn't feel her body, she couldn't see. Kate strained against the blackness. Not daring to take a step, but reaching out with her hands. What can I feel? Nothing. Just open space.

She was comfortable, neither too warm nor too cold. Her mom told her to stay, but that wasn't her nature, she needed to find out where she was. "Which way should I walk? Can I still hear voices?" She quieted her thoughts and listened. No everything was silent. Wait, she could hear a beep. Faint. Inconsistent. Straining with every fiber in her, she listened for the next sound.

Beep.

Off to her left. Far away. Kate didn't think she would ever be able to get there. Did she really need to? It was quiet, and warm here. But dark, so dark.

Where was her mom? She promised she was coming back. "Should I wait? Mom?"

Beep.

It wouldn't hurt to move closer to the sound. One step. Two. It was still black. Kate wiggled her fingers against the blackness she still couldn't feel anything. What if she had fallen down a deep hole?

Beep.

There. She heard it again. In front of her now. She just needed to walk straight. "I wish I had someone to walk with. Where did my mom go? I know she was here." Kate pushed past her confusion. Searching. For what? No who? Who am I looking for?

Beep.

She course corrected. A little bit more to the right now. She paused to listen could she hear any voices yet? No it was still silent. Another step. And another.

Beep.

He should be here. He who? Who should be here? Kate tried to think. Someone important. Her mom left so she could meet someone important. She paused again. It hurt to think. The blackness was so easy. She wanted to turn around. To go back. To find her mom.

Beep.

But, Kate knew someone else was waiting for her. She started walking again. Slowly. How much farther? Her steps felt more sluggish. Like she was walking in sand. But it's time. I need to keep going, he's been waiting for me.

Beep.

Kate tried to reach out again with her fingers. Could she touch anything yet? Where is the end of the blackness she questioned? She remembered the color blue and wished that it was surrounding her. It seemed like a color she wanted to get lost in.

Beep.

Blue was the color of his eyes. But who was he. She could picture his eyes sparkling. He made her laugh. She thought about her mom, but decided now was the time for laughter. She needed to keep walking.

Beep.

She looked down at her feet. Although it was still black, it now felt like she was trudging through knee-deep snow. It seemed like the closer she got to the beeping, the heavier her legs felt.

Beep.

Kate course corrected again. She needed to head more to the left. She couldn't wait to see him again. Her fingers itched to hold his hand. She felt something rough. There was something out there. "Is he waiting for me?"

Beep.

Voices. She could hear voices again. Muffled. Farther away than the beep. Kate pictured his eyes again. Blue with a lopsided grin. He looked so friendly. She wanted to hurry, but now it felt like she was walking through wet cement.

Beep.

Her arms were too heavy to reach out anymore, but she could feel the roughness beneath her fingertips. Kate just needed to grab his hand. The voices were coming closer. Kate looked around trying to see him in the dark.

Beep.

She knew he would be there. He promised "Always." Kate kept walking. Her legs were so heavy, but she knew she needed to go to him.

"Kate."

Her Name? Did someone say her name?

Beep.

Kate stopped. Her fingers were warmer. She stretched them out and touched softness.

"Kate. Can you hear me?"

Her name. Again. He was calling her.

Beep.

She needed to look up. It was that simple. Kate knew she would see "Castle" if she looked up. She remembered. That's who was waiting for her, "Castle."

With that Katherine Beckett opened her eyes for the first time since she had been shot and looked straight at Josh. "Where's… Castle?" Kate was so confused. Castle was supposed to be here. He was the reason she left her mom. "Where… is… he…?"

Josh was crushed, he had known there had to be something more to them than just partners. This was twice in two days now she had asked for Castle first. He was tempted to just walk out, but the part of him that was her doctor knew he needed to be here for her. And although it hurt him to say it, Josh comforted her. "I'll have one of the nurses call him Kate. I am sure he will be right here." Josh signaled the nurse in the room to call Rick. With a little trepidation he continued, "Do you know who I am?"

Kate blinked twice focusing on the face in front of her. As recognition dawned on her, so did her horror of not remembering her boyfriend. "Josh… Josh, I…"

"Quiet Kate. There will be time to talk in a minute, but I need you to save your voice so I can ask you some questions."

Kate slightly nodded her assent.

"Okay, let's try something easy. Just before you opened your eyes, you were just squeezing my hand, can you do it again?" Slowly, Kate's finger's gripped his hand tighter. "Perfect. If you are thirsty squeeze my hand again." More quickly this time Kate's hand squeezed Josh's. "Okay, I have some ice chips here. Let me spoon one into your mouth."

Gratefully, Kate sucked on the ice. The wet and cold felt so good in her dry mouth. "More, please." And with a gentleness that belied his inner frustrations, Josh continued to spoon-feed Kate.

"Thanks" Kate whispered five minutes later. "Better now."

"I still have some more things to go over as your doctor. Are you up for it?"

"Yes." Kate was grateful she wasn't going to have to have the talk about them yet.

"Do you know where you are?"

Kate finally took in her surroundings, beeping machines, plain gray walls, rough blankets, and flowers. "The hospital. How long?"

"Seventeen days." Josh hesitated and then asked her, "Do you know why you are here?"

Kate thought back beyond the blackness. She remembered the airfield and Montgomery. Had she been injured that day? She didn't think so. Kate kept trying to sift through her memories. Had she yelled at Castle before or after the airport? Oh God, she remembered ordering him out of her life. Is that why he wasn't here? Kate struggled with her memories, she could recall him holding her. Clutching her to him, when did that happen? Was it night or day?

Josh watched the emotions crossing her face, waiting to see if she would be able to answer before interrupting her thoughts. "It's okay Kate. Let me tell you what I know. You came in here with a GSW to the chest. If the shot had been another 2mm to the left and you probably would have died on the scene. The surgery to repair all of the internal damage was successful, but we needed to let your body heal. After the surgery, your dad gave us the okay to put you in a medical coma. This takes some of the stress off of your body while you are healing from all your internal injuries. We have been lowering those meds for the last three days. Yesterday was your first day without any of those meds in your system," Josh decided for a little bit of transparency at this point even though he had promised that he wouldn't push her to talk about them. "I haven't left the hospital since then because I wanted to be here when you woke up."

However, Kate didn't here anything past GSW to the chest. She had been shot, she had looked down the barrel of a gun too many times to count, but she couldn't remember having done so recently. What was she doing when it happened? When had she been shot? "When?"

Josh looked at her quizzically, her question didn't make sense, "When you woke up, Kate."

Now it was Kate's turn to look confused. "Huh?" Kate questioned. "When? When did it happen?"

Josh was starting to wonder if her memory was more affected than he originally thought. "Seventeen days ago Kate. Do you remember me telling you that already?"

Kate started to roll her eyes, but it made her queasy. "I want to know what I was doing? I don't remember being on the barrel end of a gun. When did I…" Kate paused, she had almost asked when she messed up. She had seen too many cops get hurt when they didn't play it by the book. She never thought she would be one of them.

Josh jumped in. He should have known she would be more interested in the events leading up to the shooting than in her own health. With another twinge of bitterness, he realized her job always had come first. "I wasn't there, but from what I understand, you were delivering the eulogy for your commander, or captain… or someone. When you were shot by a long range sniper." Giving credit to Castle for saving Kate's life was like another stab to the gut, but he figured she would find out soon enough anyway. "Castle said he saw something glinting and shoved you out of the way just enough. Although you still ended up in the ICU, you didn't end up in the morgue."

Kate heard the bitterness in Josh's voice, but chose to ignore it. Letting herself revel for a second instead that with all they had been through, Castle still had her back, before she did the 180° from Kate Beckett patient to Detective Kate Beckett. "Was anyone else injured? Do they have any leads? What was done to secure the area?"

"Kate let me stop you right there. I am a surgeon and your boyfriend, but I am not an investigator. I don't know the details of your case—except with how they relate to you here at the hospital. First, you have had a round the clock detail stationed outside your door, and second at least once a day we have to give a detailed report on your prognosis to your boss or his boss. Personally, I don't care how the investigation is going, I hoped this would be the incentive we needed to get you to see that what you do is dangerous, and hopefully you would seriously consider quitting. Then you would be free to travel with me."

"Josh…" Kate didn't know what to say, this wasn't the first time they had had this argument, but she really didn't have the strength to do it again right now. She knew that one day, they would need to talk, but it would need to be "…later. I don't think now is the time."

"Unless you want me to help mediate, which I would be happy to do," said a grinning voice from the door.

Kate looked up and locked eyes with Richard Castle.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N You guys are amazing. For everyone who has reviewed and story alerted this THANK YOU! I mean it. It is so encouraging to know that even though this isn't fluffy and fun…yet, you are reading and enjoying this story.**

**I wish I had been to update sooner, but I had a really long week at work. Then I struggled a little bit to have the mix of serious and funny dialogue between Rick and Kate. Finally, Kate threw me a curveball that I had to deal with. This was not the chapter I planned on writing, but hopefully it is going to make a better story.**

**Plus, you actually get a vote in how the next chapter pans out.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these marvelous characters, but I am hoping to see them all at Comic-Con **in two weeks**.**

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><p><strong>Previously on Writer's Block:<strong>

"Josh…" Kate didn't know what to say, this wasn't the first time they had had this argument, but she really didn't have the strength to do it again right now. She knew that one day, they would need to talk, but it would need to be "…later. I don't think now is the time."

"Unless you want me to help mediate, which I would be happy to do," said a grinning voice from the door.

Kate looked up and locked eyes with Richard Castle.

…

Kate's green eyes locked onto Rick's blue eyes. The electricity in their gaze sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine. Kate had a moment of utter clarity, Rick was the person she had worked so hard to come back too. No one else mattered except for him. "Castle". Kate was embarrassed at how breathy she sounded. She told herself it was just because she was caught off guard.

Rick smiled at the sound of his name. " I don't want to interrupt," he lied. And although had originally wanted to be out protecting Kate by exposing the man behind her mom's killer, there was suddenly no other place in the world he would rather be.

Josh glared at him. "Your timing is impeccable".

Castle grinned even broader. "I have always thought so myself, it's what makes me such a great writer. Well, that and being raised by a mother with a flair for the dramatic."

"I still have a few more things to go over with Kate. Do you want to wait in the visitors lobby?"

Castle took a few steps into the room. "No, not really. I just raced over here at the suggestion of a nurse you had call me. If Beckett doesn't mind I'd like to come in."

The electricity Kate had felt initially upon seeing Rick, was replaced by a tension in the room so thick she could cut with a knife. In her gut she knew there was no right way to respond to that statement to make both of them happy. And because she still wasn't thinking her clearest, she figured she'd try one of her favorite interview techniques-misdirection. Looking back at Josh, she asked, "How much longer?"

Josh looked at her incredulously for a second realizing that even though she hadn't said it, Kate wanted Castle to stay. "Tell you what," Josh began wile rising from his chair. "I can tell you want to see your partner, and I need to order some tests for you anyway. How about I come back in a little bit,"

Kate nodded mutely grateful for the break. Then mumbled "thanks," smiling up at him.

Josh noticed it didn't come close to lighting up her face like when Castle arrived. "I'll see you in a while."

Kate's eyes followed Josh out of the room, she wanted to feel bad that her boyfriend left in a huff, but all she felt was relief. She tried to reach out her hand and beckon Rick into her room, but her arms still felt too heavy to lift all the way. " Please. Come in."

Castle never broke away from her gaze as he slowly walked all the way into the room. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

And although she hadn't thought Castle could grin any bigger, his whole face lit up as he walked into her room. Castle knew that she hadn't picked him to be her forever, but he felt like he had just won the lottery. Kate was finally awake, and wanted to see him.

"You may still need my services as a mediator later. He didn't look too happy as he walked out." Rick kinked his head in the direction of the door to indicate Josh.

Kate shrugged slightly, trying not to move to much before she found out what hurt. "Maybe, if I cared, but it seems hard to do anything right now."

"How are you feeling?"

"It's getting easier to talk, and I'm not in any pain. I just feel heavy. Have you ever taken something to help you sleep when you have a cold?" Rick nodded encouraging her. "Well it is that kinda groggy, heavy feeling you get when you wake up too early. Everything seems harder to do."

"I get that feeling all the time. I think it comes from being up all hours of the night writing. However, I believe you probably have a better excuse for feeling that way. I know they have been giving you some pretty powerful drugs."

"I got that impression from Josh. Are you going to sit down?"

Castle was still standing by her bed looking down on her. Partly to judge for himself how well she was doing, partly to avoid sitting in a chair still warm from motorcycle boy, but mostly he needed to reach out and touch her first. "Yeah, I… can I… "

"What"

"I… I'm so glad you've come back. Can I give you a hug first."

Kate had never wanted anything more. "Uh huh, but I might not be able to hug you back, yet."

"That's okay." Gently, so as not to hurt her, Castle eased his arms around her shoulders, lowering his body so that any of his weight would be only on her uninjured side. Rick felt a hand finger-creep along his waist and smiled, Kate was trying to hug him back. He let his cheek rest next to her warm one, for a little longer before pulling back too look in her eyes. "I've missed you. It's too quiet without you around."

"You got used to me pulling your pigtails, huh?"

"Definitely," Castle was glad to be back on safer ground before he accidentally told Kate how much he cared about her. "Because you give as good as you get."

Kate smiled as Rick finally sat down.

"Do you know why you are in the hospital?"

"Josh said I was shot at a funeral. Was it Mongomery's?"

"You don't remember?"

Kate shook her head sadly. " I have these jumbled recollections from that week, but I don't know what is real and what I dreamt."

Rick thought for a second before asking, "Were you dreaming while you were in a coma?" If she was, Castle realized that explained how she had called out his name last night.

Kate paused to think. "I must have been, I remember strange things, some of which probably happened while others... While others are just wishful thinking."

"Tell me about all of them."

"You're the writer Castle. I'm not good with weaving fact and reality into a cohesive story."

"I never said I needed a story, I have often found in my writing, that just talking aloud helps me to see connections I never thought possible. "

Kate smiled weakly, "I'll try, but no complaints if I start rambling and jumping from one thought to another."

"Could you at least use separate paragraphs for each new thought so I can follow you better."

"Castle, I am talking. There are no paragraphs when you talk."

"Sure there are. It is a longer pause than either a comma or a period, you know, a chance to catch your breath and refocus your thoughts."

"In that case, with how my head feels right now, I might be starting several new paragraphs in the middle of a sentence. Anyway, do I really need a grammar lesson right now?"

"No of course not... Sorry about that, you were saying something about a jumble of thoughts."

"Yeah," Kate paused to regain her derailed train of thoughts. "I can't tell what events really happened and what events I dreamed, for lack of a better word."

"So start talking. I am all ears. Well not really, because that would be strange to see a person made all up of ears. Hey, I wonder if I did an image search on Google if I could find a picture someone made like that? Do you think I could?"

"Are you really nine years old?"

"Oops sorry, I did it again didn't I?"

Although Kate loved Castle's youthful exuberance, trying to follow a conversation with him left her dizzy on the best days, today it was almost too much. "You know what, never mind we don't need to talk about it. It doubt it makes sense anyway."

"Please Kate. I promise to be good."

"You promise, no interrupting no matter how long it takes me."

"I pinkie swear." Rick said, grinning big and holding out his hand to Kate. She lifted her hand again to intertwine pinkies with him. As her hand lowered back to the bed his did too, an he intertwined there fingers giving her a little squeeze of encouragement showing her he was ready to be serious. "When you're ready."

Kate took another moment to gather her thoughts. "Sometime last week, or whenever… it seems like last week to me. I remember being at my Grandad's house. But he has been dead for 15 years." Kate paused again it was a little disconcerting to have recent memories of someone obviously deceased. "He and my Gran were always listening to country music, or bluegrass. Anyway there was a radio on and this song kept playing over and over. Maybe instead of a radio it was a record player, I don't remember. I some point I was talking to the Captain, at their house, and he reminded me to find a place to make a stand and someone to stand with."

Kate paused again. This definitely sounded more like a dream there was no way the captain would be at her grandparent's house, but it was so tangible. Rick gently started running his thumb over the back of her hand. Not rushing her, but lending his support. Kate tried to lift her other hand to rub her eyes, but only succeeded in getting it about halfway there. Movement was returning, but not quickly. She tried to recapture the scene in her mind and continued on.

"The house smelled like fresh baked cookies and banana cake. My grandma made the best banana cake. You have to slice it super thin or it tastes too heavy, but it was so yummy. Anyway this song from Kenny Loggins keeps playing over and over again in the background. My mom was there also." Kate paused again, once again lost in her memory. Shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts, she continued. "Mom and I are sitting together on the couch. I was me now, and we spent the day talking and laughing, it was good. That night we watched the Princess Bride on TV, it was one of my moms favorite movies. The best part was when she realized the Dread Pirate Roberts is really her Wesley when he roles down the hill shouting '_as you wish'_. I always love that scene. We spent the day just snuggled together on the couch. I think we must have started talking about you."

Kate closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at Rick and read anything in his face. She didn't want him to read anything in hers either, but she figured it was probably too late for that.

"I was telling my mom about our fight." Kate heard the soft intake of Rick breath, but kept her eyes closed. "That you were asking me to walk away. And I realize then that the song that has been playing in the background the whole time was _The Gambler_. The refrain went something like this.

"You got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk way

Know when to run."

"And then I am back with my mom and she just looks at me, tells me it is okay, I can walk away she is so proud of me. And I told her I found someone to make my stand with, but she keeps telling me… or maybe it was the song, that it was okay to walk away.

Kate paused again her recollections, "Can I have some more ice?" Rick let go of her hand to spoon-feed the ice cubes to her, and she used the time sucking on the ice cube to see the pattern in her memories. She just had to come out and say it.

"Castle, I finally made my peace with my mom's death while I was in a coma. I… I ralize don't need to keep searching for who was behind my mom's murder… I am ready to walk away."

And although Rick had seen it coming, when she had started talking he still felt a punch in his gut at Kate's word. He didn't know what to say, not now that he was finally all-in to get this guy. Not now that he was able to give Kate the support she needed. Not now that he realized there was no walking away… ever.

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><p><strong>And I promised you a chance to weigh in on the direction of the story. Originally in this chapter I was going to have Kate twist Castle's ear to get the information about the shooting out of him. Which is why the previous chapter and this one have a few discrepancies. So my question to you is, should Castle share what he just learned about the identity of "the dragon" or should he try to do all of the research in secret. I can see the story playing out both ways–And I promise either way the two of them will spend most of their time together. Let me know what you want to see happen.<strong>

**Thanks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So sorry it has been forever since an update, but life just kinda got in the way. Family came into town, I spent four exhausting days at Comic-Con—I did get to see the Castle panel, Awesome! If you want details PM me. Followed by a birthday party for my eldest DD, more family, sent the kids to camp for a week so finally here is an update.**

**No joke the first half of this was written a paragraph or two at a time when I thought I had time to write only to realize that I couldn't focus for more than 10 minutes, so if that part seems a little choppy please forgive me. And it is extremely angsty because with everything going on in my life at the time that is how I was feeling, so sorry to take it out on Kate and Rick who definitely deserve more happiness than I gave them. Also if you want to reference the first 6 things on Castle's to do list look back to chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: At the rate I am writing if I owned them we would only get 4 episodes a year. Be grateful I don't—plus then 4x2 wouldn't be a super hero episode. Oops spoiler alert.**

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><p><strong>Previously on Writer's Block:<strong>

Kate says, "Castle, I think I finally made my peace with my mom's death while I was in a coma. I… I don't need to keep searching for my mom's killer… I am ready to walk away."

Rick was dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say, not now that he was finally all in. Not now that he was able to give Kate the support she needed. Not now that he realized there was no walking away, ever.

…

Thinking back, Castle realized that he had been the one to open this can of worms two years ago, he was the one who wanted to look back into her mom's autopsy results. Initially the desire had been to give something back to her to, even though she had expressly asked him not to. He thought that by helping her close the case it would bring her peace and joy, something he knew she often lacked with her job.

Tears started to swell in his eyes as he realized he had never paused long enough to consider what Beckett wanted. It was his fault that now that she finally felt at peace, she was in the most danger she had ever been in. It was his fault that she couldn't walk away. This was all his fault. Ricks thumb continued to trace tiny circles on the back of Beckett's hand. He wasn't sure which desire was greater inside him, the one to grab her hand tighter and drag her away from New York to someplace safe, or the desire to share with her who had ordered the hit on her mother.

Kate looked over at Rick to see the anguish on his face. This wasn't the response she was expecting. She didn't think she was that out of it still, that she couldn't judge what an appropriate reaction was and this just didn't seem it. Hadn't he begged her to just let it go? Or was that something he had said in her dreams? She tried to think what she had said that would hurt him, but figured it was better to just open the lines of communication. When had she become the verbose one while he became the brooding silent type.

"Castle…"

Rick squeezed her hand, but didn't respond.

Trying to keep it light even though she could tell she was starting to tense up from the stress, she continued. "Hey, what's going on in that brain of yours? I know you often get lost in your own world, but I you need to let me in."

Castle looked up at her, his face reflecting how broken he was inside. "Kate, I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry." He squeezed her hand even tighter like it was a lifeline he couldn't let go. "Kate, it's... too late... it's too late for you to walk away. He is already after you."

She didn't think he realized that he had just called her Kate instead of Beckett, twice. Her heart leaped at the implied intimacy. Maybe because she was just coming to terms with being shot, those two words had a bigger impact on her than the danger. "You may be right, but that isn't a reason to go all mushy on me. I thought you were made of stronger stuff than that." Lowering her voice to almost a whisper, Kate continued "Especially now it that's true, I need you to be made of stronger stuff."

Although there were still unshed tears in his eyes, Castle's mouth twitched into a half smile, "I didn't know you wanted me to share my stronger stuff with you."

Kate's eyebrows raised in disapproval and amusement. He was coming back to her.

"Seriously," Castle continued, "It's my fault. I pushed you into this."

"From what Josh told me, you pushed me out of the line of fire. Not into it."

"I tried, we weren't sure if it was enough, if you would ever come back. Kate..." Rick's voice trailed off, he had almost said those three little words to her. She didn't seem to remember hearing them the first time, and he wasn't ready to tell her again. They had a bigger discussion to have first. "I don't want to loose you. And Kate, it won't end by your walking away. He won't let it anymore. Not until your dead."

For a while the silence stretched between them as Kate processed the direction her life was taking her. No matter where she went she would now be hunted. She had given up believing in happy endings years ago, but it was strange to think that she would always have a target on her back. That until she finally figured out who was behind this it would always be open hunting season for Kate Beckett. She needed to turn the tables on him somehow, to become the hunter instead of the hunted. Even with no idea how that could happen she knew that Castle was right. It wouldn't end until either of she or the Dragon was dead. As she squeezed Castle's hand, she hoped and prayed he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. Finally, she responded, "I am okay with that. I am not saying I have a death wish, but that I understand what is at stake." Making sure that his eyes were locked on to hers, she added, "But, as Montgomery would say, I would like to make my stand with you."

Rick smiled at her, and she noticed that this time it reached his eyes. "You couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to."

The tension that had been building up inside of her seemed to leave Kate all at once and she felt drained. Yawning she asked, "If I rest for a little bit will you stay?"

"Didn't I just tell you couldn't get rid of me?" Rick watched Kate's smile at him turn into another yawn. "Close your eyes. I'll be right here."

"Thanks," Kate mumbled as she closed her eyes.

Rick watched her face soften as her fingers went limp in his hand. God, Kate Beckett was beautiful when she slept. Really she was beautiful no matter what time of day, but with her hair tousled around her face and the slight pucker of her lips as she slept. Even her soft breathing took his breath away. He thought he would have had enough of watching her sleep over the last two and half weeks, but knowing that this was just a temporary rest made all the difference.

Eventually, Castle stood up and walked to the window in her room. Pulling the curtain aside he looked out. It seemed like so much longer since he had learned about Jack Branson. That was the way of life, if it was true that you never knew when the life changing moments would hit you. Then he felt like he had been pummeled this month. The roller coaster of emotions was draining, and so much was still swirling around them. He had known it would take Kate a little bit to recover when she came out of a coma, but somehow he still expected her to wake up ready to bust down doors and catch the bad guys. Not need him or someone else to spoon feed her ice because she couldn't lift her hand to her mouth. He probably should have told her about Branson before she fell back asleep, but seeing her so vulnerable disarmed him a little bit. Besides he wasn't sure she was ready yet to hear about all of the danger they were in. It might even set back her recovery.

He desperately wanted to start planning again how best to take down Branson and keep a very vulnerable Kate safe, but he did his best thinking while typing. If you could get burner phones he wondered if you could get burner computers. It didn't have to be fancy if fact the fewer bells and whistles the better. Something simple that wouldn't connect to the internet and had a basic word processing program. Hell, he would use simple text if he needed to. The more he started thinking about the idea the better he liked it. After following Beckett around for the last 3 years he thought he knew where every pawn shop in the city was. He could pick up something cheep, wipe the data base, and… what? Okay, he would need help to set it up so that it was hack proof, but thankfully he knew just the guy.

Once again, reality started poking holes in his plans. He had just promised Kate he would stay. She should know him better than that by now, when had he ever stayed put when the best plan was action. Glancing back over his shoulder Rick watched Kate's even breathing. He wondered if he had time to dash out before she woke up from her nap or if he should just stay put for once. As he was standing there watching her Rick phone rang in his pocket. Not wanting it to wake her up he reflexively answered it.

"Castle." Rick spoke quietly in the phone.

"Where have you been?"

Gina. Castle took a long deep breath to calm himself before answering her. "Hello Gina, how are you?"

"Richard, I have been calling you every day for weeks. Your voicemail and I are becoming best friends and you still don't call me back. Are you deliberately trying to sabotage your career?"

Another deep breath, "No, but I needed to focus."

"I am sure that after all of your 'focusing' you still haven't written another chapter let alone the 5 that where due to me, your ed-i-tor, by last week. Do you remember what an editor does, Richard? I look over someone else's, in this case _your_, man-u-script and make comments and help you write a best seller. I cannot do my job without you meeting your con-tract-u-al obl-i-ga-tions. Do you need me to define those words for you too?"

God, there was a reason he divorced this woman. Castle barely suppressed the sigh that wanted to escape from him for the third time and instead walked to the doorway, he didn't want to wake up Beckett with what was bound to be a long and arduous conversation.

…

Forty-five minutes later Castle was finally able to head back to Beckett's room. Gina was her typical charming self, in other words–a nightmare. He snuck past the nurse's station wanting to just head back to her room for the duration of the day. Even if he were to leave now, he wasn't going to be able to hit the banks before closing time and it seemed like a better idea to hit the pawn shops in the daylight also. His to do list for tomorrow was growing by leaps and bounds.

It wasn't until he walked into her room, that two things struck him. One, Beckett was gone and two, so was her security detail. His heart started hammering in his chest, he just had to hope that since her bed was missing too they need to take her somewhere. Hadn't Josh said something about tests? He looked around again. The flowers were still on the table and his bag was tucked away in the corner where he let it. Trying to calm his racing heart, Rick grabbed the bag and checked the contents. Okay, all of the files looked like they were still there. That was one less concern. Keeping the bag with him, he walked back down to the nurses station as quickly as he could, without looking like he was training for a speed walking competition.

At the nurses station, he scanned the people behind the counter looking for Regina, he knew she would give him the straight scoop. Just his luck she was MIA too. Glancing at the other nurses, he picked one that he thought had been less friendly to Josh than the others.

"Excuse me, do you know where Detective Beckett is?" Rick was still a little too frantic to be his usual charming self.

"Um, I'm not real sure. Let me get the charge nurse to help you."

Rick listened as the young blonde asked the no-nonsense looking woman behind the back desk his question. The older woman eyed him over the top of his glasses and he had flashbacks to his semester at Catholic School while his Martha had been studying for a role as a nun. She thought it would be good for both of them to get in character. Three weeks later Martha didn't get the part, but he was left to finish out the year in misery.

The older woman quietly spoke to the young nurse before returning to whatever she had been doing at her desk. As the girl approached the counter Rick plastered his most winning smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, all I was told is that Dr. Davidson had scheduled her for several tests." In a lower voice she whispered. "I do know they wheeled her past about 10 minutes ago, it may take them up to several hours to finish, but since I don't know what they have scheduled, she could be done in as short as 20 minutes."

"Thanks for your help." And he was proud of how little sarcasm came out when he said it. Or at least he hoped so.

Rick slowly waked back to Kate's room. Had he let her down by not being there when they took her out of the room after he had promised to stay? The only thing he could do was make up for it by being there when she got back. Settling into a chair he pulled out his laptop and his to do list. First to add more his list–this time with a pen rather than leaving behind another electronic trail.

7. Write 3 chapters of Nikki Heat.

8. Go to Pawn Shop

9. Call Vincente.

10. Ask Ryan and Esposito to search for Hands cold case file.

If his list got any longer without crossing things off he might never sleep again. With that thought Rick slipped the paper back into the outer pocket of his bag and flipped open his laptop. He might as well type while he waited for Beckett to return. Maybe then Gina would stop hounding him. And he could concentrate on what was really important.

_Rook entered the bullpen with his phone pressed to one ear. Somehow avoiding a collision with 3 people blocking his way, while juggling 2 cups of steaming hot coffee, a box of donuts with his notebook on top, and a pen in his hand taking mostly legible notes. _

"_Yeah, I got all that, anything else?" More scribbling, and somehow he managed to flip the page on the notebook without tipping either cup of coffee. "What time?" More fluid pen movements, "Thanks, I will call you back if I need anything else." With more dexterity than some ballerinas, he reached up and flicked off his phone while grandly presenting a coffee to Nikki. "Detective."_

"_Thanks."_

_He set the box of on the table behind her and came around to stare at the board in front of her. Tipping his head sideways like that would give him a better perspective, he commented, "I thought you came in early to look at the murder board. This is a map of Manhattan and the boroughs, with what looks like fireworks on it?" Rook questioned._

"_I mapped out where the victim was found, the dumpster where we found his personal effects and his house." Nikki pointed to the 3 blue pins on the board. "Then I ran the strings from those to each of the witnesses/suspects homes," pointing to the red strings radiating out from the 3 blue dots, "then I plugged in the work locations of our 3 primary suspects" pointing out the 3 white dots clustered together on the map._

"_When we were looking for Prichard yesterday, we were concentrating on the blocks near the shore because he had worked for a shipping company before, what if instead we should have been looking in this area…" Nikki gestured with her hand to indicate the 3 white pins. "Technically is isn't upper east, but compared to where he was working I think it might be the area the guy was referring to."_

_Rook reached behind him to grab a donut, and taking a bite before saying, "Wi juss gaw of da fon wit uh die, an e sed." Pausing to swallow, Rook continued "that he saw a person matching Prichard description, exiting this Metro tunnel." Rook pointed to a stop about 3 blocks south of the white pins. _

_Nikki whipped around to glare at him, "Who is calling you with leads on our case? Are you talking to someone about an ongoing police investigation?" _

"_No, no. Well, not really. I called Ochoa this morning and he mentioned that the best way to get to the upper east was to take the green line to 110th and then make the bus connection to the shore. Being a reporter I know lots of paper vendors including a guy with a shop on the corner there. I texted him a picture of Prichard and asked if he recognized the guy. He called back and said sure he sees him most mornings heading north towards 111__th__ or 112th. So I ask when, he tells me he walks by around 7 most days. He wasn't sure if he went past today, but it fits your theory that he could have been heading to this area." Rook took another large bite of donut. _

" _And when where you going to share this with me."_

"_Wi wusst watt ear" _

"_Quit talking with your mouth full, it is disconcerting that I can even understand what you just said. "_

" _I said 'I just got here.'"_

"_I already go that. Your paper guy just might be the unknown connection I have been searching for. So your guy thinks he traveled north from 110__th__." Nikki began tracing the route on her map towards the white pins. But they were still farther north and two blocks east. "Is this the route you would take to go to this area?"_

"_Huh, no. I would go past them and get off on 116__th__ then walk east and south a block. So if he wasn't going there, do you think he saw something on his way to…" Rook trailed off not really sure where Prichard was going._

"_I don't suppose you have anymore paper vendors you can call to keep us from legwork two days in a row?"_

"_Sorry, no. But I do know the doorman in front of this building." Rook pointed it out._

"_Great if we start going west, I'll have you call him. Come on, let's get this day started." Nikki said grabbing for her own donut._

Rick looked up from his manuscript. Did three pages count as 3 chapters? Unfortunately, he didn't think Gina would think so. Already daunted by the grunt work that he was facing for foray into newspaper exposé writing, Castle really didn't want to write about grunt work in his this next chapter yet. Smiling he thought it would be much more fun to go back and write the sex scene between Nikki and Rook… or he could move forward and write the ending.

Or he could just close his laptop and wait for Kate to be wheeled back to the room.


End file.
